Tony Blair's ex-spin doctor Alastair Campbell did not see the funny side.

"It's embarrassing that the newly-elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom takes so long to go and see the German Chancellor and French President and then sticks his feet up on the President's table," he told the PA news agency.

"It might sound trivial but it just shows a complete arrogance and disrespect."

But Sky News political correspondent Tom Rayner offered a different perspective on the incident, saying it was part of a good-humoured exchange.

French media have made light of the incident, too.

"No, Boris Johnson did not insult France by putting his foot on the table in front of Emmanuel Macron," was the headline on a story by Le Parisien newspaper, which then outlines the light-hearted exchange between the two.